Travis Air Museum

One of the best museums I’ve ever been to is the Travis Air Museum at Travis Air Force Base - and I've been to a bunch! I can spend hours at it! It is full of really interesting displays, artifacts, photos and cool stuff.

I met my good friend Senior Master Sergeant Ellen Hatfield of the 349th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs Office. We got to visit and meet some very cool people including her boss Lt. Col. Couse-Baker, who is really neat.

Travis Air Force Base is named after Brigadier General Robert F. Travis, who was killed in a B-29 crash along with 18 others. The plane was carrying a MKIV atomic bomb, which fortunately didn’t explode. This bomb was just the shell of the bomb, without the fissionable material, which is the nuclear component. Phew!

Being an active air force base, you can’t just stroll in. You have to be ready to show your I.D., proof of insurance, and more. (Visit the museum website so you know what you have to do) But once you get in, it’s great.

The 349th Air Mobility Wing (Reserve), located at Travis Air Force Base, California, is the largest associate wing in the United States Air Force Reserve. 349th AMW personnel fly the C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III and KC-10 Extender. The missions of the wing's aircrews include airlifting personnel and material worldwide as well as aerial refueling a wide variety of aircraft. The 349th AMW is also home to the 349th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, responsible for treating patients during medical airlift; the 349th Airlift Control Flight, tasked to enter austere locations and prepare for USAF aircraft arrival; and the 349th Medical Squadron, capable of providing hospital services worldwide, in a contingency environment. The mission of the 349th AMW is to "provide combat ready Airmen and expeditionary support to the war fighter." This makes the wing responsible for training almost 3,500 Reservists who, in turn, work side-by-side their active duty counterparts in the 60th AMW, also stationed at Travis.

The base is great but we went to see the museum which is really cool! Besides all the models, exhibits, and more, there is a ton of planes! There was a B-52, a B-29, numerous tankers and bombers, plus MiGs, Sabers, and more! They had exhibits about the Berlin Airlift display, the Jimmy Doolittle display, and so much more! The Berlin Airlift exhibit was so cool, and the Jimmy Doolittle exhibit was huge!

I highly recommend this museum to any airplane lover, or anyone else. Wow!